Having been a staunch fake tree lover for many years, my wife and I went through a phase where we were buying real trees for about 5 or 6 years. Then, once we had Ava, we decided getting a fake tree made more fiscal sense. So we managed to find one for sale about 4 years ago and it has been great! Lights already in place, 3 pieces, I can have it up or down in maybe 10 minutes and POOF…instant Christmas.

With a real tree you have to go to the vendor, pick it out, get it tied to the top of your vehicle, get it in the house (pine needles EVERYWHERE) and then dispose of it once the holiday season is over…which is kinda sad. But there is one truly great reason for having a real tree on this holiday and it is…the smell. NOTHING beats the smell of a great Christmas tree. That pine scent is one of the reasons for the season and I truly miss it.

Which one do you prefer? The real or the fake. There are no winners or losers. It’s a personal choice. But I go with the fake for sheer convenience. But there is something to be said for family time and picking out a real tree and having that pine smell all over the house!

Fake trees come in boxes, boxes are made from Trees. If you buy artificial, you’re killing a tree.

Tree farmers re-plant 1-3 trees per cut Christmas Tree, so be proud to Save a Tree this year and opt for a Real Tree. 🙂

Also, when you see a Christmas tree on the curb, it’s usually there for the recycling program to pick up. But, even if it does get thrown away, a real tree is 100% biodegradable and good for the Environment. Fake trees are made with harmful chemicals, plastics and metals, that do not fully disintegrate.

Also, I had a friend who’s bunny died because it chewed on an artificial tree. Be careful! It you still want a fake tree read the warning labels – look for Lead because it causes cancer and birth defects.

Always had a real one growing up, as my Dad made sure of that. It was a GREAT tradition, I loved it and loved the process that allowed me to spend time with Dad outdoors. We would go to my Grandpa’s neighbor Bernie’s small, family Christmas Tree farm and walk through the field until Dad found the perfect tree (for the perfect price 😉 ) and put our “tag” on it for that year. Then, when the time came, we would go out there with our tree saw and cut it down by hand, ourselves… wrap it up in a tarp and toss it into whatever vehicle Dad was using at the time.

I love that memory more than I can ever explain to anyone.

I have never had a real tree in my house and the logistics of getting one at Bernie’s and traveling to Whitehall, would be too much of a hassle. On the same note… I would never buy a real tree anywhere other than Bernie’s.